Third Pine Tree ISD student arrested in school threat incident

For the third time in about a month, a student has been arrested in connection with a threat against a Pine Tree ISD campus, according to the Longview Police Department.

Longview police announced the arrest Monday, saying that on Sunday night, they were “made aware of a possible threatening written text and picture message towards a school campus sent over a social media platform.”

Longview police that after numerous interviews, “it was determined a student had made written threats of violence toward the Pine Tree Junior High School campus.”

Detectives obtained a directive to apprehend signed by a judge for a terroristic threat charge regarding a threat toward the campus. The student was apprehended off school grounds without incident, according to police, and transported to the Gregg County Juvenile Detention Center.

The Longview Police Department said it “is committed to the safety of all students on school campuses in Longview, takes all potential threats of violence seriously, and will continue to thoroughly investigate all similar incidents on school campuses. Making any threat, whether in person or online, is illegal and has serious consequences.”

On Oct. 3 and Sept. 19, police arrested Pine Tree High School students in separate incidents related to threats made against the campus.

In total, six students have been arrested this school year in threats against Longview campuses.

That also includes two juvenile students at Judson Middle School in Longview ISD and 17-year-old Michael Crosby, who was arrested this past week on a charge of a third-degree felony charge of exhibit firearm on campus or school bus.

Police said Crosby made the threat on the instant messaging app Snapchat against Longview Early Graduation High School after a confrontation with a teacher.